Bonsai Encyclopedia

Evergreen bonsai with glossy dark green leaves and red berries. Autumn-winter berries are highly ornamental. Hardy and easy to grow, a representative Japanese tree.

Popular grass-style bonsai. Large purple or white flowers capture waterside scenery in a small pot. Beautiful with moss, creating a seasonal display for early summer.

Evergreen with small glossy leaves in dense clusters. White flowers and dark purple berries add interest. Extremely hardy and tolerant of pruning. Good root spread.

Named after the highest court rank in Japan. Beautiful red berries and dark green needles. Hardy in cold climates with slow growth, ideal for long-term bonsai.

Deciduous tree with small leaves and fine branching. Easy to shape for bonsai with attractive brown-gold autumn color. Small leaf size makes it ideal for shohin.

Charming citrus bonsai with clusters of small orange fruits. Fruits are edible whole. Relatively cold-hardy and easy to grow among citrus varieties.

A small azalea that carpets volcanic uplands in Kyushu such as Kirishima, Aso and Kuju. With small leaves and dense branching, it covers its shoot tips with little flowers, mostly purple-red but also pink or white. Tough and ideal for shohin bonsai.

A deciduous shrub typical of Japanese coppice woods, bearing flat clusters of small white flowers in early summer and bunches of red berries about 6 mm across in autumn. In bonsai, small-leaved forms such as 'Kinkazan' are favoured.

Also called sweetgum. Star-shaped leaves with spectacular autumn color. Deep corky bark ridges are also attractive. Relatively fast-growing and beginner-friendly.

A deciduous hornbeam whose new shoots, young leaves and autumn foliage flush red. Called 'aka-soro' in bonsai, it has the smallest leaves and finest twigs among the hornbeams, offering interest from spring budbreak to winter silhouette.

Deciduous tree known for silkworm farming. In bonsai, exposed roots and hollow trunks are highlights. Sweet berries are a bonus. Hardy and tolerant of pruning.

Japan's typical wild rose, bearing sprays of small, strongly scented white flowers in early summer and red hips in autumn. One of the key species behind the world's garden roses, it is grown as bonsai for both flowers and hips.

Auspicious plant whose name suggests turning misfortune away. Beautiful red berries and winter color. Used in New Year decorations. Hardy and beginner-friendly.

A deciduous climber of the spindle family whose yellow autumn fruits split in three to reveal orange-coated seeds, lasting from autumn into winter. Male and female plants are separate, so fruit needs a female plus a male pollinator.